fungal infection pulmonary

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis is a severe fungal infection primarily affecting immunocompromised patients. Individuals with severe viral infections have recently been identified as vulnerable to developing invasive fungal infections. Both influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (IAPA) and COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) are linked to high mortality rates, emphasizing the urgent need for an improved understanding of disease pathogenesis to unveil new molecular targets with diagnostic and therapeutic potential...

Mucormycosis is an invasive opportunistic fungal infection with high mortality, mainly detected in people with COVID-19, especially those with underlying diseases such as diabetes mellitus. Mucormycosis prevalence is 0.005 to 1.7 cases per million inhabitants, and it has been increasing in countries like India and Pakistan. This mycosis can affect different organs, and clinical manifestations reflect the transmission mechanism. Frequent forms are rhino-orbital-cerebral and pulmonary. This disease should be suspected in patients with necrotic injuries on mucous membranes or skin...

INTRODUCTION: Dimorphic fungi cause infection following the inhalation of spores into the pulmonary system. In the lower respiratory tract, the conidia transform into yeasts, which are engulfed by alveolar macrophages and may be destroyed without disease manifestation. However, in some immunocompromised individuals, they may persist and cause active fungal disease characterized by formation of granulomas in the infected tissues, which may mimic Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of pulmonary dimorphic fungal infections among HIV/AIDS patients with non-TB chronic cough at Mulago National Referral and Teaching Hospital in Kampala, Uganda...

Fungal infections can be challenging to diagnose in returning travellers due to their non-specific clinical manifestations and changing epidemiology. We present a case of progressive disseminated histoplasmosis in a returning traveller from Bangladesh. The patient had a progressive and prolonged respiratory illness necessitating mechanical ventilatory support. The clue to potential fungal aetiology was provided by serum fungal markers - 1-3-β-D-glucan and Aspergillus galactomannan. Diagnosis was eventually made using panfungal PCR on bronchioalveolar lavage fluid...

BACKGROUND: Invasive fungal disease (IFD) is a frequent complication in pediatric lung transplant recipients, occurring in up to 12% of patients in the first year. Risk factors for infection include impaired lung defenses and intense immunosuppressive regimens. While most IFD occurs from Aspergillus, other fungal conidia are continuously inhaled, and infections with fungi on a spectrum of human pathogenicity can occur. CASE REPORT: We report a case of a 17-year-old lung transplant recipient in whom Irpex lacteus and Rhodotorula species were identified during surveillance bronchoscopy...

Knowing the spectrum, prevalence, and modes of diagnosis of pulmonary aspergillosis (PA) will be beneficial to clinicians for its early diagnosis and management. This study aims to estimate the prevalence, spectrum, and role of serological tests and radiological findings in the diagnosis of PA. A total of 150 patients were suspected of having PA after obtaining relevant clinical history and radiological imaging. The patients were grouped into each spectrum of PA as invasive PA (IPA), chronic necrotizing PA (CNPA), aspergilloma, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) based on predisposing factors, clinical and radiological findings, and the guidelines of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer/Invasive Fungal Infections Cooperative Group and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Mycoses Study Group (EORTC/MSG)...

Mucormycosis encompasses a range of fungal infections that can impact various organs. Although pulmonary mucormycosis is relatively rare, it poses a significant threat, particularly to individuals with compromised immune systems. Pulmonary mucormycosis presents with various radiological manifestations. Notably, the involvement of the angioinvasive pulmonary artery in pulmonary mucormycosis cases has seldom been documented. In this report, we showcase the radiological characteristics of angioinvasive mucormycosis, which can mimic pulmonary thromboembolism or a pulmonary artery tumor, in a patient diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome...

Neosartorya udagawae is a known cause of fungal infection in humans and animals. It is found to be more refractory to antifungal treatment in comparison to other Aspergillus species. With this report we present a case of proven invasive infection with Neosartorya udagawae in a child with chronic myeloid leukaemia after haematopoietic stem cell transplant. The patient received several lines of antifungal therapy including dual therapy appropriate to the antifungal susceptibility profile with progression of the invasive fungal disease requiring left lung upper lobe lobectomy...

BACKGROUND: COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) has emerged as a relatively common complication. Multiple studies described this relationship in critical patients, however its incidence and outcome in other risk groups such as immunosuppressed patients remains unknown. In this sense, we aimed to evaluate the rates and outcomes of CAPA in hematological patients and according to the different hematological malignances, comparing to invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in non-COVID-19 ones...

With increasing concern about the negative health impact of fungal disease, there is a need to survey what is and is not known about the epidemiology of these infections in Tunisia. We have estimated the incidence and prevalence of the most serious fungal diseases in Tunisia for the first time. Using published literature from Tunisia, or if absent other countries, we have estimated the burden of life-threatening fungal infections and those causing significant morbidity, using deterministic modeling, based on populations at greatest risk...

OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively evaluate the clinical use of voriconazole in psittacine patients for the treatment of suspected respiratory fungal infections. ANIMALS: 14 client-owned psittacine birds. METHODS: Medical records were searched from 2012 to 2023 for voriconazole use in psittacines. Species, age, clinical signs, physical examination findings, CT reports, bloodwork results, treatment, and outcome were obtained from the records or client follow-up...

Pulmonary mucormycosis is a rare but highly lethal fungal infection, usually affecting immunocompromised patients. Pulmonary mucormycosis was also a critical problem that complicated the later part of the clinical course of COVID-19 in India. Early diagnosis of the disease, combined with aggressive treatment, is crucial for patient survival. Fibreoptic bronchoscopy is a useful procedure for diagnosis of pulmonary mucormycosis, but image-guided percutaneous biopsy efficiently samples lesions abutting the chest wall...

UNLABELLED: Pulmonary cryptococcosis is a lung infection caused by the Cryptococcus yeast. It is rare in pediatrics, especially in immunocompetent children. The diagnosis of pulmonary cryptococcosis can be challenging due to the low specificity of symptoms, low index of suspicion, and limited diagnostic resources. OBJECTIVE: To describe a clinical case of pulmonary cryptococcosis in an immunocompetent adolescent, detailing the diagnostic approach. CLINICAL CASE: A 15-year-old patient, previously healthy, from a rural town, who consulted due to cough and a 1-month rib stitch pain, without fever or associated respiratory difficulty, with two images of condensation in the left lung on the chest x-ray...

UNLABELLED: Kocuria kristinae is a Gram-positive commensal bacterium, rarely responsible for infection in immunocompromised patients. A 29-year-old woman affected by intestinal pseudo-obstruction and requiring home parenteral nutrition, was hospitalised for fever and shivering during the infusion through a long-term central venous catheter (CVC). Blood cultures were positive for K. kristinae infection. At a chest CT scan, two partially cavitated nodular lesions were evidenced. Meropenem antibiotic therapy was used locally and systemically, resulting in catheter use restoration...

Elevation of arginase enzyme activity in the lung contributes to the pathogenesis of various chronic inflammatory diseases and infections. Inhibition of arginase expression and activity is able to alleviate those effects. Here, we investigated the immunomodulatory effect of arginase inhibitor in C. neoformans infection. In the pulmonary cryptococcosis model that was shown to recapitulate human infection, we found arginase expression was excessively induced in the lung during the late stage of infection. To inhibit the activity of arginase, we administered a specific arginase inhibitor, nor-NOHA, during C...

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is a severe fungal infection primarily affecting immunocompromised individuals. However, rare cases of IPA in immunocompetent patients have been reported, presenting diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Here, we present a case of a 41-year-old immunocompetent male who presented with fever, cough with mucoid expectoration, and breathlessness. Despite the absence of traditional risk factors, imaging and laboratory findings led to the diagnosis of IPA. Prompt initiation of antifungal therapy resulted in clinical improvement...

Nocardia , a gram-positive bacterium found in soil and water, rarely causes infections in immunocompetent patients. Diagnosing and treating nocardiosis can be challenging due to its infrequency and the similarity of its symptoms to other diseases. We describe the case of a middle-aged male with a history of latent tuberculosis who presented with hemoptysis. Imaging revealed a persistent lung mass, and pathology and microbiology studies confirmed Nocardia infection. The patient was treated with antibiotics and discharged home...

Mucormycosis is the third most frequent invasive mycosis, following candidiasis and aspergillosis. It is frequently neglected due to its rare occurrence; but recently attend the status of notifiable disease due to its higher incidence in both developed and developing nations. India has received global notice since its estimated instances were greater than the global estimated figures. Mucormycosis has several clinical manifestations, including rhino-orbital-cerebral (ROCM), pulmonary, gastrointestinal, cutaneous, renal, and diffuse Mucormycosis...

Pulmonary invasive fungal infection in immunocompromised hosts is difficult to diagnose, and current tools for diagnosis or monitoring of response to antifungal treatments have inherent limitations. Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) has emerged as a promising tool for pulmonary pathogen detection with high sensitivity. This study presents a novel ddPCR panel for rapid and sensitive identification of pulmonary fungal pathogens. First, a ddPCR method for detecting three fungal genera, including Pneumocystis , Aspergillus , and Cryptococcus , was established and evaluated...

Ibrexafungerp (formerly SCY-078) is the first member of the triterpenoid class that prevents the synthesis of the fungal cell wall polymer β-(1,3)-D-glucan by inhibiting the enzyme glucan synthase. We evaluated the in vivo efficacy of ibrexafungerp against pulmonary mucormycosis using an established murine model. Neutropenic mice were intratracheally infected with either Rhizopus delemar or Mucor circinelloides . Treatment with placebo (diluent control), ibrexafungerp (30 mg/kg, PO BID), liposomal amphotericin B (LAMB 10 mg/kg IV QD), posaconazole (PSC 30 mg/kg PO QD), or a combination of ibrexafungerp plus LAMB or ibrexafungerp plus PSC began 16 h post-infection and continued for 7 days for ibrexafungerp or PSC and through day 4 for LAMB...